On a technical level, golf and tennis share little in common. Golfers focus on a quiet swing and the quest for the perfect putt, while tennis players engage in a racket-fueled frenzy where they smash the ball! But, hey, if you look hard enough, you will find some similarity in there. Take the Jannik Sinner vs Carlos Alcaraz match at the French Open Final 2025. Considered one of the greatest tennis matches to decide a Grand Slam final, this one match went on for over 5 hours. Did you catch the similarity between golf and tennis now? Yes, slow play.
As golf fans, we are all aware of the slow play issue in the world of golf, no matter what circuit you focus on. PGA Tour? LIV Golf? LPGA Tour? In fact, things at the LPGA circuit got so serious that the USGA introduced a new slow pace of play policy early this year. In early May, the PGA Tour announced it would publicly release the names of slow-play offenders and even assess penalty strokes. And now, the golf world cannot help but realize it’s not a uniquely golf issue, after all. Take a look at this iconic Tennis match, for instance.
The Jannik Sinner vs Carlos Alcaraz marked the first French Open men’s singles final to exceed five hours, with Alcaraz and Sinner battling for five hours and 29 minutes. Although long, it was stunning. Alcaraz struggled early, looking defeated in the first two sets, but he turned the match around after saving three Championship points. The 22-year-old Spaniard fought back to win 4-6, 6-7 (4-7), 6-4, 7-6 (7-3), 7-6 (10-2), making it the longest final in French Open history.
Slow play isn’t just in golf! https://t.co/nP68ImL2K2
— Michael S. Kim (@Mike_kim714) June 8, 2025
Interestingly, the world number two had never won a match after losing the first two sets. Alcaraz became the first man to win a Grand Slam title after saving a match point since Novak Djokovic defeated Roger Federer in the 2019 Wimbledon final. Sinner, who aimed for his first Roland Garros title, faced defeat in a tough and thrilling match, missing out on his third consecutive major. Keeping in mind the length of it -the 2025 U.S. Women’s Open witnessed rounds of six hours in threesomes! – the golf world cannot help but share a few comments on the match.
The golf world is floored by Carlos Alcaraz (and we don’t blame them)
Currently dealing with a hip surgery, the 8-time PGA Tour winner, Billy Horschel, was in awe of this stunning display of competition at the 2025 French Open Final. Horschel took to X and said, “What an epic @rolandgarros final! .” On the other hand, Smylie Kaufman, the former PGA Tour pro, shared, “Man, that was some proper tennis.” Alcaraz started strong in the first-to-10 match tie-break of the fifth set. He quickly drained Sinner’s energy. Finally, he sealed his victory with a powerful forehand winner down the line. Afterward, he fell flat on his back. After the match, Alcaraz showed respect to Sinner and said, “It is a privilege to share a court with you in every tournament and in making history.”
Michael S. Kim couldn’t help but bring his humor into this thrilling moment and said, “Slow play isn’t just in golf!” In fact, the longest tennis match took place some 13 years ago! The longest Grand Slam final in Open Era history took place at the 2012 Australian Open in Melbourne. It featured Novak Djokovic and Rafael Nadal in a match that lasted five hours and 53 minutes. Even longer than Carlos vs Jannik Sinner. Honestly, that does remind us of some of golf matches over the years.
Veteran golfer Mark Calcavecchia had something even more special to say: “I don’t bet on sports. Much?? But bet on Sinner. 3 match points and I lose hahahahahahahahahhahahahahahaha. But what an amazing match. Worth every bit of 5.2 hours of watching. Great stuff.” As mentioned earlier, the three match points happened in the fourth set when Jannik Sinner appeared poised to win. However, Carlos Alcaraz saved those points, marking a crucial turning point. This comeback enabled Alcaraz to force a tie-breaker, leading to his eventual victory. Well, at least the PGA Tour Champions golfer enjoyed a great match!
The 23-year-old David Puig was keeping in touch with the iconic event as well. After Alcaraz achieved the unimaginable, Puig took to Instagram and shared the scorecard in a story and said: “IMPRESIONANTE @CARLITOSALCARAZZ.” At just 22 years of age, Carlos Alcaraz won 5 majors – something even Tiger Woods didn’t do! Impressive indeed.
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